Could Air New Zealand's Boeing 787 livery become the new NZ flag?

Air New Zealand could quite literally become the Kiwi flag carrier if moves to change the New Zealand flag to the iconic 'silver fern' are successful.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has suggested a referendum to change the country's flag, making it both more distinctive and less likely to be confused with the Australian flag.

Key says the public was "50/50" on the idea of a new flag, which would also see the Union Jack dropped from the current design (below).

"If you asked the question right after the [rugby] World Cup, it might have been closer to 60/40 in favour" Keys suggested, adding that his own preference would be for the silver fern on a black background.

That of course neatly mirrors the livery of Air New Zealand, especially the new-look designs of the airline's forthcoming Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

The first AirNZ Dreamliner arrives in July this year and will be painted in a special 'all black' livery (above) while the nine jets to follow will receive the more standard white-and-black treatment (below).